Sedum plant named ‘Strawberry Milkshake’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct ornamental perennial Sedum plant named ‘Strawberry Milkshake’ is characterized by tight-forming upright mounds of vertical stems with glaucous deep purplish-bronze foliage that resists powdery mildew and subsequent scaring. The numerous, stems are highly branched and resist lodging in the summer heat and rains. Flower buds are purplish-red opening to light-pink completely covering the top of the plant, and developing persistent rosy-purple ovaries. The new plant is useful for the landscape in containers, as specimens or en masse.

Botanical designation: Sedum hybrid.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Strawberry Milkshake’.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES UNDER 37 CFR 1.77(B)(6)

No plants of Sedum ‘Strawberry Milkshake’ have been sold or offered for sale in this country or anywhere in the world nor has any disclosure of the new plant been made more than one year prior to the effective filing date of this application, and such sale or disclosure within one year was either derived directly or indirectly from the inventor and would be a 35 U.S.C. 102(b) exception.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Sedum plant, botanically known as Sedum and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Strawberry Milkshake’.

The new Sedum plant is a selection of a planned breeding program conducted by the inventor, at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Michigan, USA.

The new Sedum plant was selected from self-pollination in an isolation area of a proprietary, unreleased, unnamed hybrid known only by the breeder code 14-61-2 at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Michigan on Jun. 1, 2015. The seeds were collected in the fall of 2015. Sedum ‘Strawberry Milkshake’ was assigned the breeder code number 15-17-1 to keep it separated from among thousands of other seedlings of this and other crosses when it progressed through the initial trial phase in the fall of 2017. The selected single seedling clone was originally selected for it strong, healthy, dense growth, colorful foliage and flowers.

Asexual reproduction of Sedum ‘Strawberry Milkshake’ by division at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Michigan, USA since October of 2018, and subsequent vegetative shoot tip cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Sedum plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of Sedum ‘Strawberry Milkshake’ have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, available water, fertility and light intensity without, however, any variation in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to comprise the unique characteristics of Sedum ‘Strawberry Milkshake’ and distinguish it as a new and distinct autumn stonecrop plant unique from all other autumn stonecrop plants known to the inventor:

-   -   1. Tight-forming upright mounds with vertical stems;     -   2. Center stems remain erect throughout the growing season         producing full habit;     -   3. Glaucous, deep purplish-bronze foliage resists powdery mildew         and the subsequent scaring;     -   4. Numerous stems produce dense flower clusters of light-pink         completely cover the mounded plant;     -   5. Flower buds are purplish-red opening to light pink and         develop persistent rosy-purple carpels;

The parent is not as dense basal branching and does not retains its upright stems as well through the entire growing season.

The nearest comparison varieties known to the inventor are: ‘Night Embers’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 29,211, ‘Xenox’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,888, ‘Neon’ (not patented), ‘Black Jack’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,736, ‘Coraljade’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 33,958, ‘Back in Black’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 33,632, and ‘Tiarmisu’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 33,781.

‘Night Embers’ is slightly taller and narrower in habit with darker foliage and darker flowers. ‘Xenox’ a similar height, but narrower and more open habit and the flowers are less abundant and cover less of the mound. ‘Neon’ has a similar height, but is more upright and narrower in habit, the foliage is light green, and the flowers are a single tone of rosy-magenta. ‘Black Jack’ has a narrower habit, the foliage is more greyed-purple, the flowers are deep garnet, and the foliage is more susceptible to powdery mildew infection. ‘Coraljade’ has lighter gray-green foliage and stems with citron-green flower buds and soft coral-colored flowers. ‘Back in Black’ has broader and darker leaves, stems that are more upright and narrower habit, the flowers are light pink and carpels become deep garnet. ‘Tiramisu’ has smaller habit with smaller narrower leaves that are lighter bronze-colored, and the flowers open cream from pink blushed buds on smaller inflorescences with thinner stems and less dense flowering.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The photograph of the new plant demonstrates the unique traits and the overall appearance of Sedum ‘Strawberry Milkshake’. The colors are as accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions of this type. Variations in ambient light spectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation in color. The plants used in the photograph were three-year-old plants grown in an open, full-sun trial garden at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Michigan with supplemental water and fertilizer when needed. No plant growth regulators or pinching have been used.

FIG. 1 shows the habit of the new plant with foliage in early stages of flowering.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flowers and buds of the new plant in mid-summer.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of three-year-old plants of the new cultivar as grown outdoors in a full sun trial plot at a wholesale nursery in Zeeland, Michigan. No plant growth regulators have been used. Plants of the new cultivar have not been tested under all possible conditions. The phenotype may vary with changes in the environment, climate, and cultural conditions without change however in the genotype. The color reference is in accordance with the 2015 edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except where general color dictionary terms are used.

-   Parentage: Self-pollination of the unreleased, unnamed proprietary     hybrid known only by the breeder code 14-61-2; -   Asexual propagation: Stem tip cuttings and division; -   Time to initiate roots: About two weeks; -   Time to finish a 3.8-liter flowering container: About three months     in the summer from a rooted 2.5 cm plug; -   Root description: Thick, fleshy; freely branching; creamy white to     light tan in color; -   Plant habit: Winter-hardy herbaceous perennial; upright mound; stiff     upright stems; dense and full, not opening in center later in the     season; flower heads freely branching; -   Growth rate: Moderately vigorous; -   Plant size: About 58 cm tall and 87 cm wide in full flower; -   Stems: Terete, hollow; glaucous; glabrous; diameter at base to about     11 mm, average about 9 mm; heavily branched in distal portion; about     22 cm long from base to initial branches; to about 55 stems per     plant and 10 to 15 branches per stem; -   Stem color: Variable; nearest RHS N186D and between a blend of RHS     N186D and RHS N187C; -   Lateral branches: To about 10 to 15 per stem; glaucous; glabrous;     terete, hollow; primary branches to about 30 cm long and about 5.5     mm diameter at base; -   Lateral branch color: Nearest RHS 187C; -   Foliage: Oval; sub-opposite; flat to slightly calathiform; simple;     smooth; sarcous; glabrous and dull on both surfaces; sessile; thick;     apex bluntly acute; base rounded; margin irregularly and shallowly     dentate, 5 to 12 teeth per leaf side, on distal portion; teeth     average about 5.0 mm apart; attitude outward; about 15 leaves per     stem below branches; -   Foliage size: To about 8.8 cm long, 5.2 cm across and 2 mm thick;     average about 6.2 cm long, 3.8 cm across and 2 mm thick; decreasing     distally; -   Foliage color: Adaxial young nearest RHS 137B lightly maculate with     nearest RHS N186C, abaxial young between RHS 148B and RHS 148C     lightly maculate with nearest RHS N186C; mature adaxial nearest RHS     N186B with an undertone of nearest RHS 191A, mature abaxial nearest     RHS 148B moderately maculate with nearest RHS N186C; -   Petiole: Leaves sessile; -   Venation: Palmate, indistinguishable; abaxial midrib slightly     raised; -   Vein color: Adaxial proximal midrib nearest RHS N186C and distally     indistinguishable from surrounding leaf, abaxial midrib nearest RHS     N186C; secondary veins both adaxial and abaxial not obvious; -   Flower: Stellate; actinomorphic; pentamerous; persistent; attitude     upright to outwardly in terminal compound cymes; size to about 6 mm     across and 5 mm deep; -   Flower number: To about 60 to 210 per branch and 800 to 1,200     flowers per stem and 8,000 to 14,000 per plant; -   Fragrance: None detected; -   Flowering season: Beginning late August in Zeeland, Michigan for     about three weeks; -   Longevity: Flower cymes remain effective for about three weeks on     the plant and one week as cut flowers; individual flowers and     calyces persistent and effective for about three weeks; -   Flower buds about one day prior to opening: Ellipsoidal; apex acute;     base truncate; about 4.5 mm long and about 2.5 mm diameter near     middle; -   Flower bud color: Distally nearest RHS 59A transitioning just above     calyx to between RHS 62D and RHS NN155D; calyx nearest RHS 176C     proximally with apices nearest RHS 187C; -   Inflorescence: To about 20 cm tall from first branch and about 16 cm     across; -   Petals: Typically five; lanceolate; acute apex; base truncate and     fused; margin entire; glabrous abaxial and adaxial; average about 5     mm long and about 2 mm across near middle; -   Petal color: Young adaxial nearest RHS 64A in distal one-half     lightening proximally to nearest RHS NN155D with slight blush of     nearest RHS 64A; young abaxial distal one-half nearest RHS 60B and     proximally lightening to nearest RHS NN155D with light blush of     nearest RHS 60B; mature adaxial distally nearest RHS 60B and     proximally nearest RHS NN155D with light blush nearest RHS 60B;     abaxial distal one-third nearest RHS 60A and proximally between RHS     62D and RHS NN155D with light blush of nearest RHS 60B; -   Calyx: With five sepals; campanulate to stellate; about 2.5 mm     across and 2 mm deep; -   Sepals: Linear to lanceolate; narrowly acute apex; fused in basal 1     mm; entire margin; glabrous and slightly glaucous both abaxial and     adaxial; adpressed to petals, about 2 mm long and about 1 mm across     at fusion; -   Sepal color: Abaxial and adaxial nearest RHS 59A; -   Peduncles: Terete, hollow; glaucous, glabrous; stiff and flexible;     freely branching; mostly upwardly to slightly outwardly; with     branches to about 45° from perpendicular; about 5 cm long and 3 mm     diameter; -   Peduncle color: Between RHS 187B and RHS 187C; -   Pedicels: Cylindrical; glabrous; glaucous; strong and stiff, yet     flexible; to about 4 mm long and 0.6 mm diameter; average about 3 mm     long and 0 mm diameter; -   Pedicel color: Nearest RHS 182B; -   Androecium: Ten;     -   -   Filaments.—Ten, five adnate the lower 1.5 mm of adaxial             petals and five attached between petals at the base of the             ovaries; cylindrical; glabrous; filaments attached to base             of ovary to about 4 mm long and about 0.3 mm diameter,             filaments adnate to petals about 3.5 mm long and 0.3 mm             diameter; color initially nearest RHS NN155D maturing to             between RHS 62D and RHS NN155D with a blush of nearest RHS             62A.         -   Anther.—Ten; ellipsoidal; basifixed; longitudinal; about 0.7             mm long and 0.5 mm across; color between RHS 42A and RHS             42B.         -   Pollen.—Abundant; less than 0.1 mm across; color nearest RHS             18B. -   Gynoecium: Typically five; cylindrical, conic in distal one-third;     about 3.5 mm long and 1.2 mm diameter;     -   -   Style.—Terete; tapering distally and base truncate; about             0.5 mm long and 0.2 mm diameter at point of attachment to             ovary; glabrous; lustrous; color nearest RHS 64D to strongly             blushed with RHS 64B.         -   Stigma.—Minute, acute; about 0.2 mm diameter and 0.1 mm             long; color nearest RHS 64B.         -   Ovary.—Nearly terete; acutely tapering at apex to style;             base truncate; lustrous; persistent; about 3 mm long and 1.2             mm diameter; color nearest RHS N155D with faint blush of             nearest RHS 64B, developing with maturity to distally             nearest RHS 59A and proximally nearest RHS 160D. -   Fruit and seed have not been observed. -   Growing conditions: Plants of the new Sedum ‘Strawberry Milkshake’     are xeromorphic and grow best with good drainage, full sun and     moderate to low fertility. The new plant is cold hardy from USDA     zones 3 to 9 and has tolerated temperatures of at least 35     degrees C. ‘Strawberry Milkshake’ tolerates heavy rains and wind and     is not prone to develop an open center later in the season as many     other Sedum cultivars do that are known to the inventor. -   Disease and pest resistance: Other pest and disease resistance and     tolerance outside that normal for Sedum is not known. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct perennial Sedum plant named ‘Strawberry Milkshake’ as herein described and illustrated. 